Hagerty’s Hottest Muscle Cars for 2018

What are Hagerty’s pick for Top Hottest Muscle Cars for 2018?

Before we tell you what Hagerty Insurance thinks the hottest Muscle Cars for 2018 are, what do you predict? Does the list include a 69 Camaro? How about a 69 Mustang or Plymouth Road Runner? Does the Barracuda, Challenger or Corvette make the list? There has to be a Chevelle on there, right? Before you read on, make your own list and see how good you are.

I must admit I was totally surprised and blown away by the results.

We all have heard of Hagerty Insurance and likely many of you use them to insure your collector cars. They have just released the “Hottest Muscle Cars for 2018” . th and 4th positions respectively.

How did Hagerty arrive at their rankings? Here is how they arrived at the results.

The Hagerty Vehicle Rating is based on a 0–100 scale, tracking vehicles’ performance relative to the rest of the collector car market. The data-driven rating takes into account the number of vehicles insured and quoted through Hagerty, along with auction activity and private sales results.

A 50-point rating indicates that a vehicle is keeping pace with the market overall. Ratings above 50 show above-average appreciation, while ratings below 50 indicate a car is tracking behind the market average. A score of 100 means a car is appreciating at a better rate than anything out there, but HVR is not an indicator of future collectibility. Although it certainly says something about what’s hot (and what’s not).

The Hottest Seven Muscle Cars for 2018

Finishing in 7th place with a score of 66, was the 1964-1967 Chevelle with a score of 66! I always thought the 68-72 Chevelles were the ones collectors wanted. I prefer the 64-67 models and I guess there are other who agree.

1965 Chevelle

In the 6th place is the GM sister car, the 64-67 GTO with a score of 70. Built on the same body but with different details and higher levels of finish likely but this one ahead of the Chevelle. Also remember that the 64 GTO is arguably the car that started the entire Muscle Car craze.

1966 Pontiac GTO

Ford takes down both the 5th and 4th place with sister cars and beating out the GM sisters. 5th place with a score of 72 belongs to the Ford Fairlane, while the 4th place goes to the 68-69 Torino with a score of 75. What makes this so important is that most of us consider these two cars to be the same car. After all, in those years the Fairlane and Torino were nearly identical and were more like alternative options than separate models. To think they scored so well as two different models says a lot about how hot these cars really were in 2018! This group also includes the extremely rare and sought after 1969 NASCAR aero car the Ford Talladega.

1969 Ford Fairlane1969 Ford Talladega

In 3rd place was the 1968-1970 Dodge Charger with 76 points (only one more than the Torino!). The 69 model of the Charger would also include the ultra rare NASCAR Charger 500 and equally rare but more desirable winged Daytona!

1969 Dodge Charger 500

The big surprise for most of us is the cars in first and second, both being Pontiac’s.

The 2nd place Hottest Muscle Car of 2018 was the 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 with a score of 79. This 4 door is the only one in the mix for Hottest Muscle Car and is a GM Holden Australian built model. It is the big sister to the 2004-2006 GTO.

2006 Pontiac G8

Speaking of the 04-06 Pontiac GTO it finished in 1st place with a whopping score of 88 points! These cars were not popular or big sellers when they were new cars but they have recently found a niche of loyal and loving followers. Their prices have been going up at a surprising rate.

2006 Pontiac GTO

What does all of this mean?

I will not try to predict the future or even interpret what the Hagerty study means to us muscle car owners. I will say this, I personally agree with the results. Of the top five cars listed as the Hottest Muscle Cars in 2018, my wife and I own 3 and would like to buy the 4th. If you consider the Torino and Fairlane the same car, we own four of the top five. You guess which one we don’t own but want.

I grew up and lived in Iowa for nearly 40 years before moving to Southern California and now live in Tennessee. I have been into cars since I was old enough to remember. I don't have a brand loyalty although I do prefer American Muscle especially the 1969/1970 NASCAR Aero Cars. (Check our our www.TalladegaSpoilerRegistry.com page) As long as it has four wheels on it I get excited. Few men are lucky enough to be able to share their passion for cars with the woman they love. Fortunately, my wife Katriana is also a gear head and many of our activities revolve around the cars. We have a small collection that includes at least one car from each of the Big Three. Katrina prefers all original cars while I like to modify them so we have a few of each. When we aren't playing with cars we are out with our miniature donkeys. You can see more about that part of our lives at http://www.LegendaryFarms.com.